(Adds details on the deal, context on vaccine development
partnerships)
HONG KONG/BEIJING, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Chinese firm Tibet
Rhodiola Pharmaceutical Holding said on Wednesday it
had obtained the non-exclusive rights to develop, manufacture,
import or commercialize Russia's COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, in
mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
The Sputnik V vaccine is 92% effective at protecting people
from COVID-19 according to interim trial results, Russia's
sovereign wealth fund said earlier, as Moscow rushed to keep
pace with Western drugmakers in the race for a vaccine.
The Russian vaccine candidate still needs regulatory
approval for clinical trials and to complete pre-clinical
studies in China, the Shanghai-listed firm said in a filing.
Chinese firms have partnered with foreign drugmakers to
develop in China front-running vaccines in late-stage global
trials. Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group is
seeking regulatory approval to trial a product from Pfizer
and BioNTech, and Shenzhen Kangtai Biological
Products aims to begin human tests for AstraZeneca's
candidate this year.
Tibet Rhodiola said it will bear the costs of clinical
trials for the Russian vaccine. Early and mid-stage trials are
expected to take place in China and late-stage test overseas.
It plans to establish manufacturing capacity for the vaccine
at its unit and other related firms, although the construction
has not started yet, the filing said.
China has moved five home-grown vaccine candidates into
Phase 3 clinical trials outside the country.
(Reporting by Roxanne Liu and Meg Shen, editing by Louise
Heavens and Bernadette Baum)
Astrazeneca (AZN)
